Adjustable garment hanger



July 4, 1950 L. B. HENsLEY ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed March 19, 1948' 4 Il" IIIII yll A Patented `uly 4, 1950 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE GARMEN'I `HAN GER Lida B. Hensley, Yuma, Ariz., assignor'of one-A half to Henry J. Albert, Yuma, Ariz'.

Application March 19, 1948, Serial No. 15,943

7 Claims.

This invention r'elates to an adjustable garl ment hanger especially adapted for use in supporting skirts and which is adapted to fit into the waistband portion of a skirt for supporting the skirt in lan extended position to prevent wrinkling thereof and which may be quickly and easily engaged with or disengaged from skirts having Waist portions of different sizes.

. More particularly, it is an aim of thepresent 4invention to provide an adjustableA garment hanger of extremely simple construction and which is composed of a minimum of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger capable of being economically manufactured and Which will be extremely eff- -.by the line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a similar View taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and f Figure 5 is a plan view of one element of the -garment hanger.

. Referring more specifically to the drawing, the novel garment hanger in its entirety is designated generally 6 and comprises a body member 1, a supporting hook 8 and two corresponding extensiblemembers, each designated generally 19.

The body member 'I is formed from an elongated strip of metal, preferably aluminum plate,

which `is folded longitudinally and intermediate of its side edges and the folded edge I0 of which is provided with an opening II for accommodating the shank I2 of the hook 8 which extends Atherethrough and which is provided on its shank vend with an eye I3 which is disposed between the corresponding, spaced folds or plies I4 of the body member 'I. Said folds or plies I4 in transverse alignment with the opening II are provided with external indentations or pressed in portions forming internal projections I5, as

best illustrated in Figure 3, which are disposed in opposed relationship to one another and which extend into Lthe opening of the eye I3 forconnecting the hook 8 to the bodyjmember 1.

2 y Each of the extensible elements `9 comprises astrand of relatively heavy gauge wire, preferably steel wire and which is relatively resilient.'` Each of said wire strands is bent upon itself intermediate of its ends to providean intermediate portion having an inner substantially straight leg I6 and an outer leg I1 the lower por-y tion lof which is outwardly offset as seen at I8 adjacent the bight of the strand. The inner leg I6 merges with one terminal of the strand which is disposed at substantially a right angle thereto and whichforms a substantially straight leg I9 which terminates in an eye 20. The other, like- Wise Asubstantially straight terminal 2l of the strand mergeswith the outer leg I'I and is disposed -at an obtuse angle thereto and at substan tially anl acute angle to the leg I-B in the normal positionof rthe parts, as illustrated in Figure 5L Said leg ZIonits outer side and on the side thereofremote to the leg I9 is provided with longitudinally spaced notches r22, for a purpose -which will ,hereinafter become apparent. The leg portions I9 and 2| of the two waist engaging ele-y ments -9 are adapted to slidably engage between the folds I4 ofthe body members l so that one of said elements 9 projects from each end of the body member 'I and the folds I4, adjacent their ends, are provided with indentations forming inwardly opposed protuberances 23, as best seen in Figure 4, which lare disposed in opposed pairs .and which are adapted to engage the legs |19 for holding the legs I9A and 2l between said provtuberances 23and the folded edge I0 and in substantially parallel relationship, as illustrated in Figure 1, so that the legs 2I will be thereby held under tension and in yieldable engagement with the inner side of the folded edge I0 of the body 'I. Said folded edge I0 adjacent its ends is transversely dented to provide inwardly projecting transverse projections 24 which are substantiallyV-shaped in cross section, as best seen in Figure 1 for selectively engaging the notches, 22 for Adetachably latching the waist vengaging elements 9 `to the body member 1. It will also `be noted that the loops or eyes 20 project down- Wardly yand lare disposed to provide abutments .for engagement `with the protuberances 23 for limiting the extent that the -waist engaging mem.-

bers 9, canbe extended outwardly with respect to the body member l. 1 From the foregoing it will bereadily apparent Athat by grasping the portions I6, II of the meinbers 9` and forcing them outwardly and upwardly .with respect to one another that the legs 2| will swung downwardly and away from the folded edge I to disengage the notches 22 thereof from the projections 2li so that said extensible members 9 may be either extended or retracted with respect to the body member 1. Said extensible members 9 are initially retracted into the body member 'l so that the hanger 6 can be positioned in the waist portion of a garment, not shown, such as skirt after which, in the manner as previously described, the waist engaging elements 9 are extended until the skirt waist portion is gaging notches 22 thereof with the projections 24. The waist portion of the skirt orother garf ment will be engaged by the outer leg portions I1 and the outwardly inclined: portions I8- thereof will effectively function to prevent the skirt from slipping out of engagement with the members 9. The hook 8 projects upwardly from the folded edge' lll of the body -1 and is adapted to engage any sui-table supporting -means for suspendingl the hanger 6 and with the garment supported there- Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter dened by the appended claims. i

I claim as my invention:

1. An adjustable garment hanger comprising an elongated body member, a hook connected to said body member intermediate of the ends of the body member and extending upwardly therefrom,

and waist engaging members projecting from each end of said body member each having an outer portion adapted to detachably engage the waist portion of a garment7 said waist engaging members being extensible With'respect to said body member, said body member and waist engaging members having co-acting portions forming latch means for releasably retaining said waist engaging members individually in various extended positions with respect to the body member.

2. An adjustable garment hanger comprising an elongated body member, a hookv connected to said body member intermediate of the endsA of the body member and extending upwardly therefrom, and waist engaging members projecting from each end- Yof said body member leach havingV an outer portion adapted to detachably engagel the waist portion of aV garment, said waistengaging'members being extensible with respect to said. body member, said body membery comprisingan elongated metal strip folded longitudinally tofform a relatively deep downwardly opening channel of a width to closely engage portions of the waist engaging members. y

3. An adjustable garment hanger comprising an elongated body member, a hook connected to said body member intermediate of the ends of the body member and extending upwardly therefrom, and waist engaging membersY projecting fromfeach end of said body member each having yan outer portion adapted to detachably engage the-waist portion of a garment, said waist engaging members being extensible with respect-to saidbody member, said body member comprising an elongated metal strip folded longitudinally to form corresponding plies, the folded edge of said strip I c bers being extensible with respect to said body "member, each of said waist engaging members l, being formed; from a strand of relatively heavy gauge wirehaving a down turned intermediate portion, disposed beyond an end of the body member and leg portions disposed in telescopic engagement with an end of the body member.

5. An adjustable garment hanger comprising an elongated body member, a hook connected to said body member intermediate of the ends of the body member and' extending, upwardly therefrom, andi waist .engaging members projecting from each endl of said: body member each having an: outer portion adapted to detachably engage the waist portion of a garment, saidwaist engaging members'being extensible with respect to said body member, said bod-y member'comprising an elongated metal strip folded longitudinally-to form a nali-'row downwardly opening channel, each of said waist. engaging members being formed from a:.fstrand .of relatively heavy gauge wire having a down turnedintermediate portion disposed beyond an `end of the body member and leg portions disposed one Aabove the other in telescopic engagement. with an yend of. the body member.

6. An adjustable' garmenthanger comprising any elongated body member, ahook connected to said body member intermediate of the ends of the body member andV extending. upwardly therefrom, and waist engaging members projecting from yeach end of said bodymeinber cach. having. an outer portion adapted Ato detachably engage the waist portion of a garment, said waist engaging mem-- bers being extensible with respect .to said body member, said body member comprising an elongated metal strip'.` folded longitudinally to form afnarrow downwardly opening channel, each of said waist engaging members being formed from a strand .of relatively heavy gauge wire having adown turned intermediate portion disposeolbeyond an end of the body member and. leg `portions disposed: :one above `the other in telescopic -engagement with an end of the body member, .said `strip Vhaving integral inwardly yprojecting protuberances for .engaging beneath thebottom. leg portions of the extensible waist engaging ele.- ments for retaining b-oth'leg portions of each waist engaging element between one of vthe .protuberances` and the folded edge of said strip.

7; An adjustable garment :hanger comprising an elongated body member, a Yhook connected to Asaid .body ymember intermediateof the ends ofthe body member and extending upwardly therefrom, and waist engagingmembers projecting lfrom each end of said body member eachhavinlg an outer :portion adapted to detachably .engage the Waist portion 4of a garment, said waist engaging fmemlbers being extensible with respect to said' body member, said -body membercomprising an eiongated metal `strip folded longitudinally to form a; narrow downwardly opening channel', each of said waist engagingmembers being'fo'rmed from lafstrand of relatively heavy gallg Wire having a' down` .turnedL intermediate ,portion disposed beyond an end-of -tnebody member'and leg'p'ortions disposed one above the other in telescopic engagement with an end of the body member. said strip having integra-l inwardly projecting protuberances for engaging beneath the bottom leg portions of the extensible waist engaging elements for retaining both leg portions of each waist engaging element between one of the protuberances and the folded edge of said strip, said leg portions being normally spring biased away from one another, said upper leg portions being provided with spaced notches, and the folded edge of said strip being provided with an integral inwardly projecting detent adjacent each end thereof for selectively engaging the notches of the adjacent upperleg portion for releasably 15 latchlng said extensible waist engaging eiements individually in various extended positions with repent-to the body member.

LIDA B. HENSLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fvllejijjjof this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS 

